This invention relates to apparatus for cooking food, namely the wok, especially suitable for cooking Oriental foods.
Cooking food in a wok is an ancient art. The vessel serves many functions and therefore replaces many Western utensils. To prepare many recipes properly, a cook generally needs two woks, one for oil and one for water steaming.
A single wok is normally about fourteen inches in diameter and is made of carbon steel or other metals including stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum and copper.
The basic techniques of wok cooking include stir-frying, deep frying and steaming. Stir-frying involves cooking pre-cut pieces of food in small amounts of oil over high heat for short periods of time. Deep frying involves the use of considerably more oil than stir-frying, but this oil, rather than the hot surface of the wok, acts as the heat-transfer medium. The oil should be heated to approximately 375.degree. F. before the food can be added. Surprising and pleasing results can often be achieved with this method. In steaming, the wok is used as a water vessel in which either a perforated aluminum tray or bamboo basket is placed. The food platter is placed on top of the tray or basket, covered and steamed over high heat.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means for a cook to conveniently and easily employ more than one of these methods of wok cooking simultaneously.